Prof. Alex Kocol's CampusGuides

Issuing grades is something that every instructor takes very seriously, if not personally.  My policy is to try to give every student the highest possible grade I can in good conscience.  It is a fact of life that effort often times does not correlate with end results and it is true that some students will work much harder for a grade which others might earn with ease.  That being said, I have created this page to add clarity to this very important process.  In assigning grades, I try to be as objective and fair as possible.  I may make mistakes or omissions, however, and therefore welcome inquiries in regards to individual assignments.  

The grading scale I use for all my classes follows a simple 1-100 tally:

A= 91-100+ points, B= 81-90.99 points, C=70-80.99 points, D= 60-69.99 points, F= 59 or below.

Whether the object of assessment is a presentation, a term paper, a short response question, a fill-in-the-blank question, a multiple choice question, or a true/false question, the characteristics which define the quality of a student's work break down according to the following measures:

A level work demonstrates;

1) an obvious and convincing level of understanding of the question, or problem, being presented;

2) an ability to articulate a response which indicates both a high-level of comprehension and reflection;

3) precision and consistency throughout the assignment.

B level work shares many of the same characteristics listed above ('A' level work) but will lack in one, or a few, of the qualitative measures.  I explicitly use the term qualitative because B students, like A students, will complete all of the required assignments.  Yet, the quantity of submissions itself does not necessarily merit an A, or even a B grade.  By definition, B students will score high on certain modes of assessment--this, in and of itself, does not guarantee an overall A in this course.  

C level work demonstrates;

1) at least a minimum level of subject matter competency (see Student Learning Outcomes in course syllabus) necessary to earn a passing grade;

2) the ability to complete a variety of assignments and submit them on time.

Non-Passing Grades: Ds and Fs;

1) are frequently based on late, missing , or incomplete assignments;

2) may reflect a level of subject matter competency below the minimum acceptable measure;

3) may be a result of plagiarism (see Glendale College Academic Honesty Policy).